Designing With New Materials

A major goal in 2016 for the University of Melbourne Australia Motorsports team was to reduce the mass and weight of its FSAE car. Lightweight solutions were required for many of the car components, and ANSYS structural software was vital to achieving this goal. With a new monocoque design for the 2016 car, ANSYS Composite PrepPost allowed the team to check for the presence of internal carbon fiber delamination in response to excessive loads. The aerodynamics sub-team used fluid dynamics simulation with ANSYS CFD to gain insight into how to exploit airflow for downforce production and drag minimization. Engineering simulation made it possible to estimate fuel consumption (by determining the drag coefficient) so that the team could determine trade-offs between fuel efficiency and other areas affecting competition.